Vehicular mounted rail system

ABSTRACT

A vehicular mounted rail system may provide a rail, base(s), and rail adapter that are configured to be assembled and mounted to a structural member (e.g., dashboard) of a vehicle so as to enable a user to support an electronic device by the structural member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 16/779,288, filed on Jan. 31, 2020, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

With the wide adoption of mobile electronic devices, such as smartphonesand tablets, the use of the mobile electronic devices in everyday lifehas become pervasive. Mobile apps, such as mapping apps for drivingdirections, has become commonly used by drivers and vehicles, both forconsumer and commercial uses.

One challenge for users of the mobile devices in vehicles is safety inusing the mobile devices when driving because holding the device leavesonly one hand to control the steering wheel, and placing the electronicdevice on a lap, seat, or center console pulls a driver's attention awayfrom the road. To help with safety for drivers when using mobiledevices, aftermarket electronic device mounting systems that are mountedonto a dashboard have been developed. Existing mounting systems,however, are often not easily connected to dashboards as a result ofvehicular dashboards often having complex and/or compound shapes (e.g.,surfaces that are not linear), and, thus, problematic for the mountingsystems to be adapted to the dashboard and be sufficiently stable tosupport the mobile devices. As such, there is a need for a vehicularmobile device mounting system that offers ease of installation andstability in supporting mobile electronic devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY

To overcome the shortcomings of existing dashboard mounting systems forsupporting mobile electronic devices, a dashboard mounting system mayinclude a rail defined by a pair of sidewalls with external walls havingan inwardly acute angle relative to a bottom surface of a bottom wall ofthe rail. The sidewalls may each include top walls that extend overinternal walls of the sidewalls, where a gap separates the top surfacesso as to form a rail feature. The bottom wall of the rail may define apair of recessed openings that enable a user to directly or indirectlymount the rail to a dashboard of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the topwalls may have semi-circles defined in each one directly above therecessed openings, thereby enabling a fastener to be extendedtherethrough and simplify mounting of the rail to the dashboard.Additionally, the recessed openings and spaces defined by thesemi-circles in the top surfaces may enable the manufacturer to use asingle tool to both carve the semi-circles into the top surface and formthe recessed opening in the base. In an embodiment, internal walls ofthe sidewalls, top surface of bottom wall, and bottom surfaces of thetop walls may form a channel with a defined shape, such as a geometric(e.g., star, triangle, etc.) or non-geometric shape (e.g., curvilinearwith abstract shapes). A base of a ball mount that extends into thechannel may have a reciprocal defined shape, thereby enabling the ballmount to slide into and along the channel and through the rail featureto a desired position along the rail to lock the ball mount.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than using a rail with a channel ofthe rail, a bar mount that defines one or more fixed positions for a barmount adapter may be provided. The fixed position(s) may be configuredto resist or prevent rotation of the bar mount adapter during use, forexample. In an embodiment, one or more anti-rotation features may beincluded at the fixed position and base of the bar mount adapter, wherethe anti-rotation feature(s) may include, but not be limited to, shapeof recess or seat for the base of the bar mount adapter to reside, oneor more protrusions, one or more corresponding recesses, or anycombination thereof, where the feature(s) are offset from an axialcenter location of the bar mount adapter and reciprocal to engage withone another. In an embodiment, the bar mount adapter may include a ball,stem, and base formed from a single material (i.e., a single unit).Alternative configurations of the bar mount adapter may be utilized(e.g., multiple components that are connected together).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which areincorporated by reference herein and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows illustrations of a number of different illustrativeembodiments of a rail that is part of a rail mount system for mountingto a dashboard of a vehicle so as to support an electronic device;

FIG. 2 shows illustrations of illustrative bases that define a recessedopening into which a fastener with a profile that is reciprocal to aprofile of the recessed opening to secure the bases to a structuralmember of a vehicle;

FIG. 3 shows illustrations of illustrative retention or sub-basecomponents configured to be disposed below a surface of a dashboard andbe configured to enable a connection or fastening device, such as abolt, to extend therethrough so as to retain the rail and sub-basecomponent on respective sides of the surface of the dashboard;

FIG. 4 shows illustrations of an illustrative rail system that includesthe rail, end bases, intermediate base(s), and rail adapter(s) to attachan arm or electronic mounting mechanism;

FIG. 5 shows illustrations of a rail adapter, in this case a trackballmounted to a base that includes a key portion that extends between topwalls defined by or connected to sidewalls of a rail;

FIG. 6 shows illustrations of alternative configurations of rail a railadapter, in this case a trackball, for mounting to a rail;

FIG. 7 shows illustrations of alternative embodiments of rail adaptersthat include anti-rotation members and regions for fastening members tobe connected and/or retained by the rail adapters;

FIG. 8 shows illustrations of an illustrative bar mount; and

FIG. 9 shows illustrations of an illustrative rail.

FIGS. 10-14 show illustrations of an illustrative rail adapter, in thiscase a trackball, for mounting to a rail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With regard to FIG. 1, a number of different embodiments of a rail 100a-100 d that is part of a rail mount system for mounting to a dashboardof a vehicle so as to support an electronic device are shown. The rails100 a-100 d are shown along a top row to include a number of channelswith different internal rail profiles 102 a-102 d defined by a bottomwall 104 a-104 d having bottom surfaces 104 a′-104 d′ and inner surfaces104 a″-104 d″, sidewalls 106 a-106 d having outer surfaces 106 a′-106 d′and inner surfaces 106 a″-106 d″, and top walls 108 a-108 d (ifincluded) having outer surfaces 108 a′108 d′ and inner or bottomsurfaces 108 a″-108 d″. In each of the embodiments, the side walls 106a-106 d have outer surfaces 106 a′-106 d′ that are angled inward or areacute relative to a plane X along which the bottom surface 104 a′-104 d′of the bottom wall 104 a-104 d extends. In an embodiment, an angle θa-θddefines the acute angle. The external or outer profile of each rail 100a-100 d may be trapezoidal or generally trapezoidal, where beinggenerally trapezoidal may mean that the walls 106 a-106 d may have otherfeatures or angles that deviate from being a perfect trapezoid. Forexample, a feature 110 a-110 d may extend upwards along and/or from therespective bottom wall 104 a-104 d so as to meet the respective sidewall 106 a-106 d at a defined angle αa-αd. The side wall 106 a-106 dthereafter may be angled upward and inward. By using acute angles,rotation of the bottom wall 104 a-104 d may be minimized when engaged orattached to base(s), such as outer base(s) and intermediate base(s)(collectively base(s)), that mount to a surface of a dashboard.

It should be understood that non-trapezoidal profiles of the rail 100a-100 d may be utilized, but provide for the same or similarfunctionality as a rail with a trapezoidal profile. In an embodiment,the non-trapezoidal profile may have a hexagonal or other geometricprofile (e.g., spline profile). The outer profile of the rail 100 a-100d may be symmetric or non-symmetric across hemispheric axes (i.e.,side-to-side or top-to-bottom). Although the rail 100 a-100 d is shownto be longitudinally or axially linear, it should be understood that therail may be curved (e.g., semi-circular, s-shaped, triangular, orotherwise). If the rail 100 a-100 d is not linear or not completelylinear, then the base(s) (e.g., bases 200 a-200 c shown in FIG. 2) maybe shaped (e.g., curved, curved in part, straight in part) to be able toslide at least partially along the rail for installation or movement.Similarly, any rail adapters (e.g., track balls 300 a-300 c (FIG. 5),900 a-900 b (FIG. 6), 1300 a-1300 b (FIG. 7)) to be utilized with thenon-linear rail may be shaped to be able to mount to or at leastpartially slide along the rail.

The outer base(s) and intermediate base(s) (collectively “bases”) maydefine reciprocal profiles to the profile of the bottom and outersurfaces of the rail so as to provide a friction fit that resists orprevents relative rotation between the base(s) and rail. By using outerbase(s) and intermediate base(s) that have internal profiles that mayreciprocally match a standard external rail profile, but have differentexternal profiles that may match the profile of a dashboard, a commonrail may be utilized for different surface shapes of vehicles, therebyminimizing or eliminating the need to produce a rail with differentshaped profiles (i.e., the external sides of the base and/or sidewallsmay be common for different structural features of vehicles). It shouldbe understood that the internal profile of the base(s) may be reciprocalto the outer profile of the rail, thereby enabling the base(s) to resistrelative rotational motion between the base(s) and the rail.

The outer base(s) and intermediate base(s) may be formed of anymaterial, such as plastic, epoxy, steel, aluminum, or otherwise, and besufficiently rigid or resistant to bending when engaged with the rail tomaintain the rail in a fixed position when in use in a vehicle. Theintermediate base(s) may be used when the rail is long and additionalsupport along the rail is desired. An opening 120 a-120 d (see FIG. 4)defined by the bottom wall 104 a-104 d of the rail between the recessedopenings 118 a-118 d may be threaded so as to enable a fastening member,such as a screw, to secure the intermediate base to the rail. Theopening 120 a-120 d may be recessed or not recessed because the railadapter may not need to slide past the intermediate base.

The bottom wall 104 a-104 d and sidewalls 106 a-106 d of the rail 100a-100 d may be monolithic and formed from the same material at the sametime using an extrusion or other process to forge or produce the rail.Alternatively, different processes may be used to form the rail 100a-100 d, where the bottom wall 104 a-104 d and sidewalls 106 a-106 d maybe made of the same or different materials. The material of the rail 100a-100 d may be metal, such as steel, aluminum, or otherwise, plastic,ceramic, or otherwise.

In an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the bottom wall 104 a-104 d may haveone or more bottom features 112 and/or 114 that may operate as keys oralignment features to engage with another portion of the rail system.The features 112 and/or 114 may be used to help reduce or minimizetranslation of the rail 100 a-100 d due to motion of a vehicle, as well.The bottom wall 104 a-104 d further includes one or more recessedopenings 118 a-118 d disposed therethrough, and one or more intermediateopenings 120 a-120 d (see FIG. 4) disposed therethrough between therecessed openings 118 a-118 d for attaching the rail 100 a-100 d to astructural feature. A rail adapter, such as a trackball (e.g.,trackballs 300 a-300 c of FIG. 5, trackballs 900 a-900 b of FIG. 6, ortrackballs 1300 a-1300 b of FIG. 7), may have a base feature (e.g., base302 a-302 c, 902 a-902 b, 1302 a-1302 b) that extends into and ismaintained by a channel with the internal rail profile 102 a-102 d,where the rail adapter may slide along the rail 100 a-100 d when not ina locked state. When in a locked state, the rail adapter may beprevented from moving along the rail 100 a-100 d. To insert the railadapter into the rail 100 a-100 d, the base of the rail adapter may beextended through a side opening 116 a-116 d of the rail. The base of therail adapter may include either a male or female feature to operate asan anti-rotation feature that is reciprocal to a female or male featureof the rail such that when the base of the trackball engages the rail,the trackball is prevented from rotating, the details of which arediscussed below with reference to the embodiments of FIGS. 5-7.

With regard to FIG. 2, illustrations of illustrative bases 200 a-200 care shown to define a recessed opening 202 a-202 c into which a fastener(see, for example, bolt 600 shown in FIG. 3) with a profile that isreciprocal to a profile of the recessed opening 202 a-202 c. It shouldbe understood that multiple recessed openings 202 a-202 c may bedisposed along the base of the rail. The fastener, such as a screw, mayextend into the recessed opening 202 a-202 c and through an opening in adashboard so as to secure the rail to the dashboard (see, for example,base 200 a coupling rail 100 b to dashboard 400 in FIG. 3). The recessedopening 202 a-202 c may have a variety of different profiles, such asfrusto-conical (see, for example, recessed openings 202 a, 202 b),rectangular (see, for example, recessed opening 202 c), or other profileshape, and fasteners may have reciprocal profiles. In any case, thefasteners may be configured to be fully disposed within the profiledefined by the recessed opening 202 a-202 c, thereby enabling a railadapter (e.g., trackball 300 a-300 c) to slide through a channel definedby the rail without obstruction by the fastener.

The bases 200 a-200 c further include a bottom wall 204 a-204 c having abottom surface 204 a′-204 c′ and an inner surface 204 a″-204 c″. Thebases 200 a-200 c further include a side wall 206 a-206 c having anouter surface 206 a′-206 c′ and an inner surface 206 a″-206 c″. Theinner surfaces 204 a″-204 c″ of the bottom wall 204 a-204 c and theinner surfaces 206 a″-206 c″ of the side walls 206 a-206 c collectivelydefine an opening 208 a-208 c having a profile that is reciprocal to anouter profile of the rail 100 a-100 d, such that the base 200 a-200 ccan slide onto at least a portion of the rail 100 a-100 d from an end ofthe rail 100 a-100 d. The recessed openings 202 a-202 c can then bealigned with corresponding openings 118 a-118 d in the rail 102 a-102 d,so as to facilitate receiving a fastener therethrough for coupling therail 102 a-102 d to, for example, a vehicle dashboard. In each of theembodiments, the inner surfaces 206 a″-206 c″ are angled inward or areacute relative to a plane Y along which the bottom surface 204 a′-204 c′of the base 204 a-204 c extends. An angle ϑa-c defines the acute angle.The acute angle ϑa-c of the inner surfaces 206 a″-206 c″ of the sidewalls 206 a-206 c and the complementary acute angle θa-d of the outersurfaces 106 a′-106 d′ of the side walls 106 a-106 d can,advantageously, help to prevent relative rotational movement between thebase 200 a-200 c and rail 100 a-100 d when the base 200 a-200 c iscoupled to the rail 100 a-100 d.

Because the mounting system may include the use of different attachmentmechanisms for attaching the rail 100 a-100 d to the dashboard (e.g.,dashboard 400 shown in FIG. 3), a recess 210 a-210 c may be defined onthe bottom surface 204 a-204 c of the base. For example, the recess 210b-210 c may be defined to enable a head of a rivnut to be positionedon/in the dashboard and allow the base to be mounted directly orindirectly to the dashboard.

As further shown, the bottom surface 204 a′-204 c′ of the base 200 a-200c may be flat (as shown in the top row) or have different shapedprofiles (as shown in the middle row). The bottom surface 204 a′-204 c′may have the different profiles so as to match different dashboardsurface profiles to which the rail 100 a-100 d may be mounted. Thedifferent profiles may be linear (as shown in the top row), curved (asshown in the middle row), linear and curved, or otherwise depending onthe profile of the dashboard. By reciprocally shaping the bottom surface204 a′204 c′ of the base 200 a-200 c, maximum contact of the bottomsurface along the dashboard may be maintained. It should be understoodthat rather than the based 200 a-200 c being mounted directly to thedashboard, an intervening plate or component may be mounted directly tothe dashboard and the rail 100 a-100 d may be mounted directly to theintervening plate or component.

In an embodiment, the base 200 a-200 c may be dynamic in that a curablefluid (e.g., epoxy) or set of fluids may be maintained or added to aflexible pouch, mixed within the pouch, and molded to the dashboard soas to have a reciprocal shape as the dashboard. By using a curable fluidand allow a user to shape the base 200 a-200 c to the dashboard, ageneric rail may be provided to users for molding the rail to thevarious shapes of dashboards and locations on the dashboards to whichthe users decide to mount the rail. Rather than the rail having thecurable fluid, another component to which the rail may mount may includethe curable fluid. In such a configuration, the base of the rail mayhave a profile with a flat bottom and the top surface of the componentmay be flat so as to enable the rail to mount to the flat top surface ofthe component.

With regard to FIG. 3, sub-base components 500 a-500 b are shown to beconfigured to be disposed below a bottom side surface 400 b of adashboard 400 and be configured to enable a fastening device, such as abolt 600, to extend therethrough so as to retain the rail 100 a-100 dand sub-base component 500 a-500 b on respective sides 400 a, 400 b ofthe dashboard 400. That is, the sub-base component 500 a-500 b mayinclude a recess 502 a-502 b with threaded sides 502 a′-502 b′, forexample, that a threaded fastening device (e.g., bolt 600) engages,thereby tightening the sub-base component 500 a-500 b against the bottomside surface 400 b of the dashboard 400 and tightening the rail 100a-100 d to the upper side surface 400 a of the dashboard 400. As shown,the sub-base component 500 a-500 b may have an upper side surface 504a-504 b with a profile that reciprocally matches the bottom side surface400 b of the dashboard 400, while the bottom surface 204 a′-204 c′ ofthe base 200 a-200 c and/or intervening component may have a profilethat reciprocally matches the upper side surface 400 a of the dashboard400. A nut 700 may be additionally and/or alternatively used to engagethe fastening device (e.g., bolt 600) beneath or within the sub-basecomponent 500 a-500 b such that the sub-base component 500 a-500 b doesnot need to be threaded.

With regard to FIG. 4, illustrations of an illustrative rail system 800that includes the rail 100 a-100 d, outer bases 200 a-200 c,intermediate base(s) 200 a-200 c, and rail adapter(s) 300 a-300 c, 900a-900 b, 1300 a-1300 b to attach an arm or electronic mounting mechanismis shown. It should be understood that the rail system is generic inthat may represent any of the rails 100 a-100 d of FIG. 1. The outerbases 200 a-200 c may have inside wall profiles that are reciprocal tothe shape of the outer walls of the bottom of the base and sidewalls ofthe rail 100 a-100 d. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer bases 200 a-200 cmay include an end wall 212 a-212 c that is configured to cover an endof the rail 100 a-100 d so as to prevent a base 302 a-302 c of a railadapter to slide out of the rail. The bases 200 a-200 c may be connectedto the dashboard 400 using fastening members, such as screws, bolts,nuts, etc. Alternatively and/or additionally, an adhesive may be used tosecure the base, rail, or other rail system components to the dashboard.

As shown in FIG. 4, sub-base component 500 a-500 b may be used to couplethe outer bases 200 a-200 c to a substrate, shown as a vehicle dashboard400. One or more sub-base components 500 a-500 b are disposed on abottom side surface 400 b of the dashboard 400 and the outer bases 200a-200 c are disposed on an upper side surface 400 a of the dashboard 400opposite the sub-base components 500 a-500 b. A fastening device (e.g.,bolt 600) may be inserted through an opening 118 a-118 d in the rail 100a-100 d into the recessed opening 202 a-202 c of the base 200 andthrough an opening in the dashboard 400 (e.g., drilled opening, etc.),such that the fastening device threadably engages the sub-base component500 a-500 b to secure the rail system 800 to the dashboard 400.

The bottom surface 204 a′-204 c′ of the base 200 a-200 c may define oneor more recessed openings 202 a-202 c as previously described withregard to FIG. 2. To simplify the formation of the recessed openings 202a-202 c, the inner surface 204 a″-204 b″ may define semi-circularregions or features directly above the recessed openings formed by asingle tool a single tooling step. That is, a tool may be configured todrive or create an opening through portions of the inner surface 204a″-204 b″ and through the bottom wall 104 a-104 d of the rail. Thesemi-circular regions may thereafter be used by rail adapter (e.g.,trackballs 300 a-300 c, 900 a-900 b, or 1300 a-1300 b) and/or bases forpositioning purposes.

With regard to FIG. 5, illustrations of a rail adapter, in this case atrackball 300 a-300 c mounted to a base 302 a-302 c that includes a keyportion 304 a-304 c that is configured to extend between top walls 108a-108 d defined by or connected to sidewalls 106 a-106 d of a rail 100a-100 d, are shown. The base 302 a-302 c may define various profilesthat are reciprocal to an inner profile 102 a-102 d defined by the rail(see, for example, the top row of FIG. 1). A clamp (not shown) may bemounted to the trackball 300 a-300 c and an arm or other electronicholding mechanism (not shown) may connect to the trackball 300 a-300 c.The trackball 300 a-300 c and the base 302 a-302 c may havethrough-holes 306 a-306 c that enables a fastening member (e.g., a bolt)to extend through so as to cause the trackball 300 a-300 c and base 302a-302 c to move towards each other, thereby operating as a clamp againstopposite sides of top walls 108 a-108 d defined by side walls 106 a-106d of the rail 100 a-100 d.

With regard to FIG. 6, illustrations of alternative configurations of arail adapter, in this case a trackball 900 a-900 b, for mounting to arail 1000 a-1000 b are shown. In this case, the rail adapter 900 a-900 bis formed of two elongated components 902 a-902 b and 904 a-904 b with aslot 906 a-906 b separating the two elongated components. The elongatedcomponents 902 a-902 b and 904 a-904 b may be attached separate orattachable to one another, respectively. In a first alternativeembodiment, shown as rail adapter 900 a, the rail adapter 900 a may havea base 902 a to which a ball 906 a is connected that includes a bottomsurface 902 a′ with an indentation 902 a″, and a rail 1000 a may have aprotrusion 1002 a that is reciprocal to the indentation 902 a″. Theindentation 902 a″ and protrusion 1002 a may engage with one another,thereby operating as a key that prevents relative rotation of the railadapter 900 a and rail 1000 a. In an embodiment, the protrusion 1002 aof the rail 1000 a may extend the entire length of the rail.Alternatively, the protrusion 1002 a of the rail 1000 a may bepositioned at one or more defined locations along the rail 1000 a suchthat the rail adapter 900 a is slid along the rail 1000 a and engaged atone of the defined location(s). The shape of the indentation 902 a″ ofthe rail adapter 900 a is shown to be angled inward. It should beunderstood that alternative geometric or non-geometric shapes may beutilized for the indentation 902 a″. That is, the profile of the bottomsurface 902 a′ of the base 902 a of the rail adapter may have any numberof shapes, and the protrusion 1002 a of the rail may have a reciprocalprofile.

As further shown, the ball 906 a, shaft 908 a, and base 902 a may definean opening 910 a that extends longitudinally from the top of the ball906 a through the bottom of the base 902 a, and be configured to enablea fastening member or fastener, shown as a bolt 1100, to extendtherethrough. The base 902 a may be configured to enable the fasteningmember to extend through a top surface 1002 a′ and bottom surface 1004 aof the rail 1000 a. A retention member, such as a nut 904 a, may beconfigured to extend across a channel 1006 a defined by the rail 1000 a,thereby preventing the fastening member from retracting from the rail1000 a. The fastening member and retention member, when tightened, maycause the rail adapter 900 a to be retained in a releasably fixedposition along the rail 1000 a. It should be understood that the railmay alternatively be a bar mount (e.g., bar mount 1300), as furtherdescribed hereinbelow with regard to FIG. 8. The ball 906 a is shown todefine a head portion 906 a′ that is recessed within the top of the ball906 a, thereby allowing a head 1100 a of the fastening member to berecessed beneath the top of the ball 906 a and prevent the ball 906 aand rail adapter 900 a from pulling away from the base.

In an alternative embodiment, shown as a rail adapter 900 b in FIG. 6,the rail adapter 900 b includes a ball 906 b, shaft 908 b, and base 902b. The base 902 b has a bottom surface 902 b′ with a protrusion 902 b″that extends downwards to pass through top walls 1008 b that extendinwards from side walls 1006 b, thereby operating as a key that preventsrotation of the base 902 b of the rail adapter 900 b relative to theinside surfaces 1008 b′ of the top walls 1008 b. A fastening member,shown as bolt 1100, may extend through the rail adapter 900 b in thesame manner as rail adapter 900 a, but rather than extending through abottom surface of the rail, the fastening member may have a length thatis above a bottom surface 1004 b′ of the rail 1000 b and allows for aretention member, shown as the nut 904 b, to be disposed on thefastening member and within a channel portion 1002 b defined by thebottom surface 1004 b′, inner surfaces 1006 b′ of sidewalls 1006 b, andbottom surface 1008 b′ of top walls 1008 b that are spaced apart fromone another.

With regard to FIG. 7, illustrations of alternative embodiments of railadapters 1300 a-1300 b that include anti-rotation members and regionsfor fastening members (e.g., bolt 1100) to be connected and/or retainedby the rail adapters are shown. In a first embodiment, a rail adapter1300 a is shown to include a region 1308 a (shown with dashes) thatextends from a bottom 1302 a′ of a base 1302 a, through a shaft 1304 a,and into a ball 1306 a. The region 1308 a is sized to enable a fasteningmember, such as a bolt 1100, to extend into the rail adapter 1300 a toretain the rail adapter 1300 a with a rail. The base 1302 a is shown toinclude an upper surface 1302 a″ on a flange portion 1302 aa and aprotrusion 1302 ab that may operate as a key that prevents rotation ofthe base 1302 a and rail mount relative to a rail. The rail adapter 1300a may alternatively be configured to mount to a fixed position barmount, plate, or otherwise. In an embodiment, and as shown, the region1308 a may be configured to enable a head 1100 a of a fastening member1100 to be recessed therein. The bottom profiles of the flange portion1302 aa and protrusion 1302 ab are also shown, where the protrusion 1302ab may be configured to have an ovular or elongated shape with roundedends such that a slot or indentation into which the protrusion extendsmay be formed by a conventional rotating tool. Beneath the rail adapter1300 a is a bottom view showing a protrusion 1302 ab that is used as ananti-rotation feature.

In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a rail adapter 1300 b includes aregion 1308 b for a fastening member (e.g., bolt 1100) that may extendthrough a top surface of the ball 1306 b, and extend through a bottomsurface 1302 b′ of a base 1302 b and protrusion 1302 b a. The protrusion1302 ba may be elongated with rounded tips, as shown. It should beunderstood that the specific shapes of the two embodiments may vary, butprovide the same or similar functionality. In an alternative embodiment,for example, both protrusion(s) (e.g., protrusions 1302 ab, 1302 ba) andrecession(s) may be used to maintain the rail adapter (or bar mountadapter) to be aligned with a structure (e.g., rail, bar mount, plate,etc.) and prevented from rotating. In yet another embodiment, multiplefeatures may be used for alignment and anti-rotation purposes. For anyof the embodiments of the rail adapter, the rail adapter may be formedfrom a single monolithic material so as to be a single element ormultiple elements formed of the same or different materials may beutilized. Beneath the rail adapter is a bottom view showing a protrusion1302 ab-1302 ba that is used as an anti-rotation feature. It should beunderstood that rather than using a protrusion, the feature may be anindentation and the rail may have a reciprocal protrusion, therebyacting as an anti-rotation feature, as described further herein.

With regard to FIGS. 10-14, illustrations of alternative embodiments ofa rail adapter 1800 that includes anti-rotation features and regions forfastening members to be connected and/or retained by the rail adaptersare shown. The rail adapter 1800 is shown as a trackball or ball mountthat includes a ball 1802, a shaft 1804, and a base 1806. The base 1806and/or shaft 1804 may define an opening 1808 that extends longitudinallytherethrough, and be configured to enable a fastening member orfastener, shown as a bolt 1900, to extend therethrough. In otherembodiments, the opening 1808 may be at least partially threaded toenable a fastening member to threadably engage the rail adapter 1800. Inyet another embodiment, a threaded stud or bolt may extend directly froma bottom surface 1806 a of the base 1806, and may be configured toreceive a retaining member thereon, such as a nut, so as to attach therail adapter to a rail (e.g., rails 100 a-100 d).

Still referring to FIGS. 10-14, the base 1806 includes a bottom surface1806 a, an upper surface 1806 b, first side surface 1806 c, and secondside surfaces 1806 d. The first side surface 1806 c extends from thesecond side surfaces 1806 d to the upper surface 1806 b. The first sidesurface 1806 c has a generally frusto-conical shape and tapers inwardlyfrom the second side surfaces 1806 d to the upper surface 1806 b. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the first side surface 1806 c maybe oriented differently or have a different profile or shape thandepicted. The second side surfaces 1806 d are arranged to define aplurality of facets or flat edges extending along an outer periphery ofthe base 1806. The base 1806 may include any number of facets arrangedto define a geometric cross-sectional shape, such as a pentagon, ahexagon, an octagon, a heptagon, a decagon, or any other geometric shapethat is defined by one more straight/flat edges or defined by linear,curved (e.g., oval, circular with a sine wave profile), or anycurvilinear shape. The second side surfaces 1806 d extend in a generallyupright or vertical direction from the bottom surface 1806 a to thefirst side surface 1806 c, although it should be appreciated that thesecond side surfaces 1806 d may be oriented at an acute angle or anobtuse angle relative to a plane defined by the bottom surface 1806 a.

The orientation of the second side surfaces 1806 d is such that thesecond side surfaces 1806 d collectively define an outer surface profilethat is reciprocal to an internal surface profile of a rail channel(e.g., internal profiles 102 a-102 d of rails 100 a-100 d) or any othermechanism that interfaces with the base 1806. In this manner, the secondside surfaces 1806 d can act as a key or anti-rotation feature that canhelp to prevent rotation of the rail adapter 1800 relative to a railwhen the rail adapter 1800 is inserted into the rail channel, therebyeliminating the need for any additional components or sub-components tocouple the rail adapter 1800 to the rail.

In another embodiment, the rail (e.g., rails 100 a-100 d) itself mayhave a protrusion that defines a plurality of facets similar to theouter profile of the second side surfaces 1806 d, and the base 1806 ofthe rail adapter 1800 may have a cavity or recess that is defined by aninternal surface profile that is reciprocal to the outer profile of theprotrusion, such that the protrusion and cavity function as ananti-rotation feature for the rail adapter 1800. It should beappreciated that the rail adapter and rail may include any combinationof cavities and/or protrusions with any geometric or non-geometric shapethat cooperate to function as anti-rotation features. It should also beunderstood that the faceted shape of the base 1806 may further providefor an interesting ornamental appearance as compared to conventionalbases that are circular.

One embodiment of a rail mount system may include a rail 102 a-102 ddefined by a first side wall 106 a-106 d and a second side wall 106a-106 d that opposes the first side wall. The first and second sidewalls 106 a-106 d may define respective external wall surfaces 106a′-106 d′ and internal wall surfaces 106 a″-106 d″. The first side wall106 a-106 d may define a first top wall 108 a-108 d and second side wall106 a-106 d may define a second top wall 108 a-108 d, where each of thetop walls 108 a-108 d have bottom surfaces 108 a″-108 d″ that extendinward from the first and second internal surfaces 106 a″-106 d″ of theside walls. A bottom wall 104 a-104 d may be monolithic with the firstand second side walls 106 a-106 d. The external side wall surfaces 106a′-106 d′ may form opposing, inwardly acute angles θa-θd relative to abottom surface 104 a′-104 d′ of the bottom wall. The bottom wall 104a-104 d may define multiple recessed openings 112 to enable firstfastening members to secure the rail to a structural feature (e.g.,dashboard, side wall, roof, etc.) of a vehicle. A rail adapter 300 a-300c, 900 a-900 b, 1300 a-1300 b, may include a feature that retains andenables sliding of the rail adapter within a channel defined by theinternal surfaces 106 a″-106 d″of the sidewalls 106 a-106 d, bottomsurfaces 108 a″-108 d″ of the top walls 108 a-108 d, and inner surface104 a″-104 d″ of the bottom wall 104 a-104 d. One or more basecomponents (e.g., bases 200 a-200 c) may each have a bottom surface 204a-204 c and sidewalls 206 a-206 c with reciprocal profiles of theexternal surfaces (e.g., outer side wall surfaces 106 a′-106 d′, bottomsurfaces 104 a′-104 d′, top surfaces 108 a′-108 d′) of the rail. In anembodiment, the base components may include a pair of outer bases (e.g.,outer bases 200 a-200 c shown in FIG. 4). The bottom surface 204 a-204 cmay define openings 202 a-202 c to be aligned with the recessed openingsof the bottom wall 104 a-104 d of the rail 100 a-100 d to enable thefastening members to extend through the aligned openings to secure theouter base components 200 a-200 c disposed beneath the rail 100 a-100 dto the structural feature of the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the base component(s) 200 a-200 c may be configured toslide onto an end of the rail 100 a-100 d and along the rail to alignthe openings of both the bottom wall 104 a-104 d of the rail and thebottom wall 204 a-204 c of the base component(s) 200 a-200 c. The basecomponent(s) may have an end wall 212 a-212 c perpendicular to the sidewalls 206 a-206 c, and be configured to engage respective ends of therail 100 a-100 d such that when the base component(s) 200 a-200 c, suchas the outer base component(s) 200 a-200 c, are engaged to the rail withend walls 212 a-212 c of the base component(s) that are perpendicular tothe axial shape of the rail are in contact with the ends of the railthat the openings 202 a-202 c defined by the base component(s) arealigned with respective recessed openings 118 a-118 d defined by thebottom wall 104 a-104 d of the rail. In an embodiment, rather than theouter base component(s) 200 a-200 c being used to prevent the railadapter from sliding off the rail, a stopper (not shown) that isconfigured to be positioned within the channel of the rail may beutilized. The stopper may have any shape and be formed of any material.For example, the stopper operate as a cork at the end of the rail.Alternatively, the stopper may be extended into a channel of the rail.The stopper may be fully or partially within the channel, and be capableof preventing the rail adapter from sliding off of the rail. The stoppermay be formed of any material, including rubber, plastic, metal,silicon, and/or any other material.

The bottom surface 104 a′-104 d′ of the bottom wall 104 a-104 d maydefine at least one groove 112 that extends parallel to the channel. Thebase(s) 200 a-200 c may include at least one protrusion 212 a-212 b thataligns with and extends into the groove(s) 112 so as to operate as analignment feature when mating the base component(s) 200 a-200 c and rail100 a-100 d. In an alternative embodiment, rather than the bottomsurface 104 a′104 d′ of the bottom wall 104 a-104 d including a groove,the bottom wall 104 a-104 d may include at least one protrusion 114 andthe base component(s) 200 a-200 c may have at least one groove 214 a.Still yet, the bottom surface 104 a′104 d′ of the bottom wall 104 a-104d may include both a groove and protrusion, and the base component(s)200 a-200 c may have reciprocal protrusion(s) and groove(s). Otheralignment or key features may also be included on the bottom surface 104a′-104 d′ of the bottom wall 104 a-104 d and base component(s) 200 a-200c. Although the base 200 a-200 c is shown to be circular, it should beunderstood that alternative shapes may be utilized.

The bottom wall 104 a-104 d may further define an intermediate opening120 a-120 d between the recessed openings 118 a-118 d. An intermediatebase component 200 a-200 c having an inner surface 204 a″-204 c″ andinner sidewall surfaces 206 a″-206 c″ with reciprocal profiles of theexternal sidewalls of the rail 100 a-100 d. The bottom wall 204 a-204 cof the intermediate base component 200 a-200 c may define an opening 202a-202 c that aligns with the intermediate opening 120 a-120 d when theintermediate base 200 a-200 c is engaged with the rail 100 a-100 d andpositioned at the intermediate opening.

In an embodiment, the intermediate opening 120 a-120 d defines athreaded sidewall.

The bottom surfaces 204 a′-204 c′ of each of the base component(s) 200a-200 c may have a recess section 210 a-210 c that maintains a gapbetween a top surface 400 a of a dashboard 400 on which the basecomponent(s) 200 a-200 c are positioned, thereby enabling a head of afastening component that is mounted to the dashboard surface to becovered by a bottom surface 204 a′-204 c′ and within a space defined bythe recess section 210 a-210 c of the base component(s) 200 a-200 c andtop of the dashboard surface. In an embodiment, the fastening componentincludes a rivnut.

In an embodiment, the base component(s) 200 a-200 c are linear. In analternative embodiment, the base component(s) 200 a-200 c are at leastpartially non-linear. The base components 200 a-200 c may bereciprocally identical. Alternatively, the base components 200 a-200 cmay be reciprocally different from one another.

The system may further include a sub-surface base component 500 a-500 bthat is at least partially non-linear and configured to receive afastening member via a connection socket defined by a recess 502 a-502 bwith threaded sides 502 a′-502 b′ of the sub-surface base component 500a-500 b that vertically aligns with a connection socket defined by arecessed opening 202 a-202 c of the base component(s) 200 a-200 cthrough which the fastening member extends from a top side of thedashboard.

In an embodiment, a base plate 500 a onto which the rail may beattached. The base plate 500 a may be configured (e.g., shaped) toconnect to a surface 400 a of the structural feature of the vehicle.

The structural feature may be a dashboard 400 or any other structuralfeature of a vehicle or non-vehicle.

It should be understood that various processes for manufacturing,assembling, and installing the vehicular mounted rail system using thehardware components described herein.

Bar Mount

As an alternative to a rail, FIG. 8 is an illustration of anillustrative bar mount 1400. The bar mount 1400 may be configured withone or more fixed positions for bar mount adapter(s) (e.g., trackballs300 a-300 c, 900 a-900 b, 1300 a-1300 b) to be positioned. In contrastto a rail that has a slide for a rail adapter to be selectivelypositioned by a user using fastening member(s), the bar mount 1400 maybe configured with one or more fixed positions 1402 for a bar mountadapter to be positioned. A fixed position 1402 may be a location orseat adapted to receive a base (e.g., base 302 a-302 c, 902 a-902 b,1302 a-1302 b) of the bar mount adapter. The fixed position 1402 mayinclude one or more features that enable the bar mount adapter to beheld in position and prevented from rotating. As shown, the bar mount1400 may be an elongated piece of material, such as metal, plastic,ceramic, aluminum, and/or any other rigid material with position(s)disposed at a top surface. The rails described hereinabove may be formedof any of the materials, as well.

In the embodiment shown, there are three fixed positions 1402 at whichbar mount adapters may be attached to the bar mount 1400. Each of thepositions may define a feature, such as a recess, into which a base ofthe bar mount adapter may be aligned and positioned. Alternatively,rather than the features being a recess, the features may includeprotrusion(s) that engage recess(es) on bar mount adapters. The featuresmay be the same or different at each position. To restrict or preventrotation of the bar mount adapter, the feature may be as a slot,indentation, and/or protrusion, and be disposed at the position (e.g.,extending into or from a surface of the position). To retain a bar mountadapter with the bar mount 1400, the bar mount may define an opening1408 partially or entirely through the bar mount 1400 so that fasteningmember(s) may be used to temporarily attach the bar mount adapter(s) tothe bar mount. The opening 1408 may be configured with a recess(es) 1408a so that heads of fastening members or bases may be positioned below orabove the surface of the respective top surface or bottom surface of thebar mount.

Base members 1500 that are adapted to retain the bar mount 1400 may beconfigured to be shaped and connected to a surface of a structuralfeature of a vehicle (or non-vehicle). Two base members 1500, one ateach end of the bar mount 1400, are shown. It should be understood thatmore or fewer than two base members 1500 may be utilized. The bar mount1400 may be shaped so that the base member 1500 may have reciprocalshapes to retain the bar mount 1400 from vertical, horizontal, and/oraxial directions. The bar mount 1400 may define an opening 14010 throughwhich fastening member(s) (e.g., bolt 600) may extend to connect the barmount 1400 to the base members 1500 or through the bar mount 1400 andthrough a surface of a structural feature (e.g., dashboard) on which thebase members 1500 are positioned. The bar mount 1400 may have the sameor similar bottom and/or external side wall shapes, as previouslydescribed. Again, to maintain the bar mount 1400 in position whenmounted to a structural feature, the base members 1500 may have areciprocal shape, as described above.

A retention member (e.g., nut 700) may be positioned on an opposite sideof the structural feature, thereby preventing the bar mount 1400 fromseparating from the structural feature (e.g., dashboard 400) andmaintaining a strong connection (e.g., prevent relative rotation ortranslation) between the bar mount 1400 and the structural feature. Asshown in the bottom row, the bar mount 1400 may have inwardly angledsidewalls 1406, and base member(s) 1500 may have inside walls 1506 thatare reciprocally inwardly angled, such that when the bar mount 1400 andbase member(s) 1500 are engaged, the bar mount 1400 is unable toseparate vertically from the base member(s) 1500. The base member(s)1500 may have a bottom wall 1504 that defines any external surfaceprofile to be mounted to a surface of a structural feature, such as avehicle dashboard. Similarly, a bottom wall 1404 of the bar mount mayhave any shape to be mounted to a surface of a structural feature.

With regard to FIG. 9, illustrations of an illustrative rail 1600 areshown. The illustrations show a top view, side view, and end view of therail 1600. The rail 1600 is shown to be an elongated member having achannel 1602, which is a region defined by sidewalls 1606, top surface1604 a of a bottom wall 1604, and bottom surfaces 1608 a of top walls1608 extending inwards from the sidewalls 1606. A space 1610 betweeninside surfaces 1608 b of the top walls 1608 may enable a rail adaptershown as a trackball 1700, which has the same configuration as thetrackballs 300 a-300 c, 900 a-900 b, or 1300 a-1300 b disclosed herein,to extend through to allow the rail adapter 1700 to slide along the rail1600. As previously shown with reference to track balls 300 a-300 c, 900a-900 b, 1300 a-1300 b, the rail adapter may be configured to be securedat any location along the rail 1600. The rail adapter 1700 may have aball 1702 disposed thereon, but alternatively shaped adapters may beused, as well.

An embodiment of a vehicular mounting system for supporting anelectronic device may include an elongated member defined by a bottomsurface and sidewalls, the sidewalls having external surfaces beinginwardly angled or curved. An adapter may include a feature that isconfigured to be supported by the elongated member. One or more basecomponents may each have a bottom surface and sidewalls with reciprocalprofiles of external surfaces of the sidewalls of the elongated member.The respective bottom surfaces of the base component(s) may defineopenings to be aligned with openings of the bottom wall of the elongatedmember to enable fastening members to extend through the alignedopenings to secure the base component(s) disposed beneath the elongatedmember to a structural feature of the vehicle.

The elongated member may be a rail. The elongated member may be a barmount. A profile of the bottom surface and external surfaces of thesidewalls of the elongated member may be trapezoidal. The adapter mayinclude a ball, a shaft connected to and extending from the ball, and abase connected to an opposite end of the shaft. The base may beconfigured to mate with at least one feature defined by the elongatedmember.

The elongated member may include a protrusion and the base of theadapter may include a recess that is a reciprocal with the protrusionsuch that when the adapter is mated with the base, the adapter isprevented from rotating. The protrusion may be elongated with curvedends.

The elongated member may include a recess and the base of the adaptermay include a protrusion that is a reciprocal with the recess such thatwhen the adapter is mated with the elongated member, the adapter isprevented from rotating. The protrusion may be elongated with curvedends. The elongated member may define one or more locations at which theadapter is connectable. The location(s) may include a recess into whicha bottom wall of the adapter is positioned.

A method of manufacturing the elongated member, adapter, and basecomponents may be performed in a number of ways described herein. If theelongated member is a bar mount, then discrete locations may be formedto mate with a base of the adapter. The discrete locations may include arecess, protrusion, or both, and be configured to be reciprocal tofeatures on a bottom surface of the adapter. In an embodiment, a toolmay be used to form an elongated recess with curved ends that isreciprocal to a protrusion of a bottom surface of a base of the adapter.

The previous description is of a preferred embodiment for implementingthe invention, and the scope of the invention should not necessarily belimited by this description. The scope of the present invention isinstead defined by the following claims.

1. A rail mount system, comprising: a rail defined by: a first side walland a second side wall that opposes the first side wall, the first andsecond side walls defining respective external wall surfaces andinternal wall surfaces, the first side wall defining a first top walland second side wall defining a second top wall, each of the top wallshaving bottom surfaces that extend inward toward each other from thefirst and second internal wall surfaces of the side walls; a bottom wallconnected to the side walls, the external side wall surfaces of theexternal side walls forming opposing, inwardly acute angles relative toa bottom surface of the bottom wall, the bottom wall defining aplurality of recessed openings to enable first fastening members tosecure the rail to a feature of a vehicle; a rail adapter including abase feature that retains and enables sliding of the rail adapter withina channel defined by the internal sides of the sidewalls, bottomsurfaces of the top walls, and top surface of the bottom wall; and oneor more base components each having a bottom surface and sidewalls withreciprocal profiles of the external sidewalls of the rail, the bottomsurface of the one or more base components defining openings to berespectively aligned with the recessed openings of the bottom wall ofthe rail to enable the fastening members to extend through the alignedopenings to secure the one or more base components disposed beneath therail to the structural feature of the vehicle.
 2. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the one or more base components are configured toslide onto an end of the rail and along the rail to align the openingsof both the bottom wall of the rail and the bottom surface of the one ormore base components.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein theone or more base components have an end wall perpendicular to the sidewalls, and configured to engage respective ends of the rail such thatwhen the one or more base components are engaged to the rail with theend wall of the one or more base components in contact with one or bothends of the rail that the openings defined by the one or more basecomponents are aligned with respective recessed openings defined by thebottom wall of the rail.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein thebottom surface of the bottom wall defines at least one recessed portionthat extends parallel to the channel, and wherein the one or more basecomponents include at least one protrusion that aligns with and extendsinto the at least one recessed portion so as to operate as an alignmentfeature when mating the one or more base components and rail.
 5. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall further defines anintermediate opening between the recessed openings, and furthercomprising an intermediate base component having a bottom surface andsidewalls with reciprocal profiles of the external sidewalls of therail, the bottom surface defining an opening that aligns with theintermediate opening when the intermediate base is engaged with the railand positioned at the intermediate opening.
 6. The system according toclaim 5, wherein the intermediate opening defines a threaded sidewall.7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surfaces of eachof the one or more base components have a recess section that maintainsa gap between a top surface of a dashboard surface on which the one ormore base components are positioned, thereby enabling a head of afastening component that is mounted to the dashboard surface to becovered by a bottom surface and within a space defined by the recesssection of the one or more base component and top of the dashboardsurface.
 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the fasteningcomponent includes a rivnut.
 9. The system according to claim 1, whereinthe one or more base components are linear.
 10. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the one or more base components are at least partiallynon-linear.
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the one ormore base components are reciprocally identical.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 10, further comprising a sub-surface base componentthat is at least partially non-linear and configured to receive afastening member via a connection socket defined by the sub-surface basecomponent that vertically aligns with a connection socket of the one ormore base component through which the fastening member extends from atop side of the dashboard.
 13. The system according to claim 10, whereinthe end base components are reciprocally different from one another. 14.The system according to claim 1, further comprising a base plate ontowhich the rail is attachable, the base plate being configured to connectto a surface of the structural feature of the vehicle.
 15. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the structural feature is a dashboard. 16.The system according to claim 1, wherein the rail is linear along anaxial axis.
 17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rail iscurved.
 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the one or morebase components are curved to be able to slide along the rail.
 19. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the bottom portion is monolithicwith the first and second side walls. 20-30. (canceled)